“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” – Desmond Tutu
When Susan Trigger was 26 weeks into her pregnancy with twin boys Alexander and Thomas, she went into labor.
Unfortunately, Thomas passed away shortly after delivery. Weighing just 1 pound 12.5 ounces, his brother Alex fought to survive.
“It was terrifying and the worst experience any parent can go through,” Susan remembers.
Alex spent three months in the Kapiolani Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Being born so early required Alex be intubated for a month, followed by an onslaught of treatments and procedures to ward off the potentially debilitating and life-threatening illnesses micro-preemies face.
“The care we received was amazing,” Susan says. “We forged friendships with doctors, but especially the nurses, more specifically Alex’s assigned nurse.”
Now 7, Alex is a passionate reader and avid about science. He loves to go to the beach, swim at the pool and dreams of one day being a paleontologist.
“Alex is amazing and surpasses all expectations,” Susan says. “He is academically smart and has personality plus, plus, plus! He is incredibly social and has the most wonderful personality. There is a special light that shines within him.”
To other families whose child requires extended medical treatment, Susan implores to never lose hope.
“The NICU experience is a roller coaster ride. You ride all the highs and lows of everything, but every journey is different,” she says. “The statistics don’t always apply. Every child is different, as are all people. Their ability to hold on and fight can be greater than you can conceive.
“Every story is different. Every outcome is different. But there is always hope. Even in the darkest of times there will be glimmers of light.
“You are your child’s best advocate. No one loves your child more than you. Always look for another opinion. Fight for them. Fight for their life because they are fighting the hardest and they need you.
“Never give up.”
Published on: November 1, 2017